


Roadside Assistance

by battle_goats



Series: Wild Silver [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A Father's Love Zine, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hunter Prompto Argentum, Parental Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28905726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battle_goats/pseuds/battle_goats
Summary: As Hunters, it's their job to help the people of Greater Lucis. From wildlife and daemon control, to something as simple as changing a tire, they'll do it all.
Series: Wild Silver [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119926
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Roadside Assistance

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for A Father's Love: FFXV Zine.
> 
> This is also a side story to Wild Silver, but no knowledge of that fic is required to read this one.

"So, how's that nice boy you met in Lestallum?" Dave asked. He grinned when Prompto groaned and buried his face behind the book he was reading. 

"Come on, Dad, really?" he whined.

"I'm only curious. Is he a hunter or what?" 

"His family owns one of the spice stalls in the market," Prompto answered.

"Oh, so you two do talk." 

Prompto made a funny wheezing noise before speaking, "we're not serious or nothing. He's just...nice."

"I'm sure he is. I would have had to run him off otherwise." When Dave realized that Prompto was in fact a teenage boy, he didn't expect to get quite so much mileage out of his light-hearted teasing. Then again, Dave hadn't given Ma the chance to do it to him by being firmly uninterested in people like that. And Prompto just made it so easy to do when he got so embarrassed by it. 

The Cleigne landscape flew by as the windshield blurred with heavy rain. They were headed back to Meldacio but taking the long way by Ravatogh and the Vesperpool. They didn't come that way often since it took a lot longer than the route out of Lestallum, but it made for a nice change of scenery. 

They were driving just by the Ravatogh Trail parking lot when Dave abruptly hit the breaks.

"Dad?" Prompto asked. He put his book down and looked out the window.

"Someone's got car trouble. Let's go," Dave said. Prompto nodded, and they hopped out of the truck. A car was parked against the side of the road with a blown tire. The driver was attempting to change the tire out on his own. Dave looked to the sky, noticing how dark it was getting.

"Hey there, need a hand?" Dave asked. The driver looked up and squinted at them.

"Is that you, Auburnbrie?" the driver asked.

"Yeah, it's us."

The driver stood and waved them over.

"We're not gonna have time to change that tire, friend. Get in the truck and we'll take you up the road to the outpost and spend the night under their floodlights," Dave said. The driver opened his mouth to argue when the telltale sound of a daemon rising out of the ground reached their ears. It chittered and hid from the headlights of the cars. 

Prompto raced for the truck and grabbed the rifle stored in the bed. Dave caught sight of a Goblin hopping in the shadows.

"Get in the truck," Dave said. The man they were helping opened his mouth to protest once more, but whatever he planned to say was cut off by Prompto firing on a Goblin that came lurching at them. "Truck! Now!"

He didn't need to be told a third time and scrambled into the truck. Prompto threw himself into the bed and shot at a second Goblin that got too close. The truck rumbled to life, and Prompto grabbed onto one of the nylon straps holding their travel gear in place. He slid across the bed when Dave hit the gas. They sped down the road towards the Ravatogh Outpost. Dave swerved around spawning daemons while Prompto watched their backs. An Iron Giant narrowly missed the truck, and Prompto could hear the man screaming inside the cab. This was probably as close as he had ever gotten to a daemon before and was clearly not enjoying the experience. They had cut it way too close by stopping to help the stranded driver, but Prompto knew that they couldn't leave the man stranded for the daemons.

"Hang on to something, Prompto!" Dave yelled. Prompto hastily hooked both arms through two of the straps and held on tight. The truck swerved and pitched to one side. For a heart-stopping moment, he thought they were going to roll, but they came out of the turn soon enough to avoid it. The civilian screamed again. Prompto turned to see a Flan rising out of the asphalt in front of them. There was no time to get around it. They were going to hit it head on.

Prompto raised his rifle and emptied every round he had into it. The flan flinched but didn't die. He dropped the rifle and drew his pistol and went back to shooting. The civilian driver was walling now. 

"C'mon die already!" Prompto yelled as he fired off his last bullet. The Flan shrieked as it finally died and disappeared in a puddle of scourge. They kept on driving. Prompto could see the lights of the outpost ahead and he collapsed back onto the truck bed and quickly reloaded the rifle. They weren't safe just yet.

The truck picked up speed and drove into the safety of the outpost floodlights. Prompto nearly slid out of the open tailgate when Dave slammed on the brakes. Their passenger was fully hyperventilating in the passenger seat. Prompto hopped out and whooped for joy.

"We're alive!" 

Dave chuckled at his son's exuberance. 

Prompto opened up the passenger door and climbed onto the frame. "Hey, hey, can you look at me for a sec?"

The civilian turned his head to look at Prompto, but his breathing didn't calm down.

"Okay, good, now breath with me," Prompto said. He took a deep breath in, held it, then out. "Come on, it'll help. Breath in." He inhaled. "Then out."

This went on for several minutes. Prompto led the man through his breathing until it was back under his control.

"Feel better?"

"I - yeah, thanks kid." Prompto grinned and hopped down. 

"No problem. Just here to help. Need a hand?" Prompto held out a hand and helped the man out of the truck. He was clearly shaken by the experience. Prompto guided him over to the small picnic table set up outside the Verinas Mart. Dave set down a glass of water and a plate of the food stall's famous spicy fried chicken. He happily dug into the food.

"Nice job out there," Dave said. He reached over and ruffled Prompto's hair. His hand was batted away while Prompto tried to fix his hair. 

"Ugh, Dad, I had it just right to stay out of my eyes too," he complained. Dave only shook his head as Prompto used his phone to check his appearance.

"Anyway, the caravan's free if you wanna take it for the night. We'll probably just camp out in the truck," Dave said to the civilian.

"If anything, you guys should take it. You saved my ass out there. I'd be daemon food if you hadn't come along," he protested.

"And where did you plan on sleeping? Just take the caravan. Sleeping in the truck is nothing unusual for us," Dave said.

"Alright, I won't argue with an Auburbrie. Think I've learned my lesson on that."

Dave hummed in agreement and they all finished eating. The man shoved gil into the caravan's payment slot until he heard the lock pop and ducked inside.

"Ready to get some shut eye?" Dave asked. 

Prompto looked up from his phone. "In a minute," he said.

"Don't stay up too late talking to your boyfriend. We still gotta change that tire in the morning."

"He's not my boyfriend," Prompto muttered. Dave got up and handed their dishes back to the proprietor of the food stall and headed back over to the truck.

Prompto shoved his phone back into his pocket and got up to help set the truck bed up to sleep in.

Bed rolls were opened up and flattened, pillows and blankets pulled out from under the backseat of the cab. Prompto jumped up onto the tailgate and tugged his boots off. He flipped them upside down and left them on the tailgate. He scooted back onto his bed roll and burrowed under the blankets. Despite being so close to Ravatogh, the nights in Cleigne got cold.

Dave stripped off his body armor and boots and left them with Prompto's. 

"Night, Dad," Prompto said. His voice muffled by the blankets, with only a tuft of his blonde hair sticking out.

"Good night, son."

Prompto sighed. A frisson of warmth always seemed to settle over him whenever Dave called him that. It had been nearly five years since they'd found each other on that cold autumn night. Prompto, just a scrawny twelve-year-old escapee from Niflheim's magitek program, Dave not at all expecting to adopt a child. But they had come a long way, and Prompto couldn't be happier to have such a large family among the hunters. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, they drove back to the abandoned car where Prompto learned and assisted with changing out the tire. The spare tire was put on, and Prompto helped toss the flat into the guy's trunk. Once the car was settled back down onto the pavement, they all took a second to catch their breath.

Dave clapped Prompto on the shoulder after they had loaded their car jack back into the truck. "Nice job, Prompto. Think you'll remember all that if you ever need it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Prompto said.

"You've got yourself a good kid there, Auburnbrie."

Dave turned to shake the man's hand.

"Yeah, I do. Couldn't be prouder."


End file.
